Sachin Tendulkar Stands Against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Leadership Role, Says It's "Too Early"

Sachin Tendulkar against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's leadership role© Getty

What Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has done at the age of 15, many cricketers strive their entire careers to achieve. From being the top-scoring batter in an Indian Premier League (IPL) season to hitting a title-winning hundred in the final, Sooryavanshi's resume already has some of the most illustrious achievements. But, when the 15-year-old was promoted as the vice-captain of the East Zone side in the Duleep Trophy, many objected to the decision. One of the cricketing stalwarts standing against the call is Sachin Tendulkar.

While Tendulkar didn't publicly express his disappointment at the selectors' call when the decision was taken, he admitted in a Q&A on Reddit that it is too early for Sooryavanshi to be taking up a leadership role.

"What do you think of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi being handed captaincy responsibility at just 15?" a fan asked Tendulkar.

In response, the Master Blaster wrote: "I feel it's too early for him to become a vice-captain in the Duleep Trophy. We have to let him play more matches with the red ball and take one step at a time!"

Sooryavanshi, who had played only eight games in red-ball cricket for Bihar before the Duleep Trophy campaign began, was chosen as skipper Ishan Kishan's deputy ahead of Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is a veteran of over 100 First-Class games.

Explaining the decision, the members of the East Zone selection committee said that it was a developmental call, rather than being a reflection of the squad's hierarchy.

During the course of the campaign, Sooryavanshi even had the opportunity to lead the East Zone side while Ishan was away from the field due to an injury. The teenager was also a part of several on-field decisions, including DRS reviews, the videos of which went viral on social media.

At present, Sooryavanshi has become an important player in India's T20I side, though he is yet to make the opening slot his own. He continues to face competition from the likes of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan for the top three spots in the playing XI.

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